The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-15

| that of Michael Angelo, since it was only by
! patient study of the ruins of Rome that he
| wrested the secrets from the pagans who
! spanned the Pantheon. The dome of the
Pantheon is l43 feet. that of St Sophia 104
feet, St Peters 40 feet and St Paul 1S5
feet.
MICHAEL ANGELo'S MASTERPIECE.
! st. Peters at Rome is briefly described as
the dome of the Pantheon set upon the baths
| OF the Caracolla, so great is its mass Yet
| ltS form Is the most simple of all the great
! cathedrals. 1t consists of a body and
come. The transeptS are merely a swell.
| The roof is fiat. There is but one gable and
that the pediment of the portico. Nothing
could be more opposed TO the Gothic infu-
ence which dominated Western and North
/ ern Europe. The perfection of its proper
ton is realized iii the difficulty of acquiring
| sense OF its maSsiveness. Unlike other
! cathedrals, St Peters is finished within. 1t
| is a great body lined, lining as distinct as
Its lnterior--a lining of precious marbles,
rich moSaics- magnificent sculptures, world
| famed paintings
The greatest, it is also the oldest of cathe-
| drals-old III the sense of continuity. 1t
stands on the site OF an oratory built in A
! u, ~, to commemorate the spot where st.
! feter suffered martyrdom in the circus of
| Nero. In 800 Constantine built here a
! basllca. In 1850 this was enlarged In
! loO6 Pope Julius III. undertook the present
| work, and Michael Angelo succeeded to
tram OF architects. Il was he who returned
| 70 the form of the Greek cross, raised the
Pantheon in the air and designed the Corll-
! THAN facade.
Inc diameter of the dome is feet less
| imam that of the Pantheon, and consists of
! two domes, between which the ascent to the
balustrade is made, Here an idea of the
Immense mass is gained, as the roof spreads
ont below, on which is built small village.
| CArHEDRALs OF FRANCE
Notre Dame of Paris marks an epoch be-
tween the Ronanesque cathedral of Ipires
and the decorated Gothic OF the Cathedral
| of Cologne. 1t was begun in the twelfth
| century on the island in the Seine where
| stood the Lutitia OF the Romans 1t is one
| OF the most perfect Gothic structures of
| Europe, but its architecture is no more i'm
| pressive than its temporal history through
| fire and flood. 1t is singular circumstance
| that through these it's three beautiful rose
windows of stained glass alone remains
from its foundation. The most beautiful
part OF Notre Dame is the western facade,
with its three portals Here the receding
arches are filed with sculptures and grotes-
! querie Us interesting as book of medieval
| legends,
Rheims is the birthplace of Catholicism in
france. Here CLOVIS was baptized in the
| y
sionary to the Gauls. 1t is also the cathe-
dral of French monarchy. Here Charles
! v H. was crowned with Jeanne dare by his
| side and here, with the exception of Henry
! H., Napoleon l., Louis XVIII, Louis Phil
lippe, and Napoleon III, all the kings of
France since 1l73 have been crowned. To
this end were gathered here all the precious
vessels and stuffs OF the kingdom, of which
alone remains he Goblet of st. Rene.
Rheims is one of the most beautiful exam
| Piles of early Gothic It is rich with orna-
mentation but its ma estic vaults, vast nave
and splendid windows are dignified and full
| OF grandeur. The western entrance is a
marvel of beauty with its sculptured lace,
slender needles and statues Of prophets and
| saints.
The Rouen cathedral is monument of
the magnificent Gothic of the thirteenth
| century, when its principal portions were
| built. The elaborate facade belongs to the
| sixteenth century. The two towers are of
| different heights, and the taller, the Tour de
| Beurre, is so called because it was built
from indulgencies to eat butter in Lent.
sTRAsBoURG AND COLOGNE.
Notre Dame, of Strasbourg, in its spire is
said to dispute with the pyramid of Cheops.
| The general form of the cathedral, in CON
nection with the spire, is pyramidal But,
all elegance and grace, the pyramid pierces
Beauvals, the western entrance of Rheims
| and the spires of Chartres and Strasbourg
would combine into a perfect cathedral
| The nave of Strasbourg is barren and
non-impressive But its windows are
marvels of the beauty of form and color
of thirteenth century glass. The site is said
| to have been that of an ancient temple con-
secrated to Hercules Here since the fourth
century the affairs of Christian worship have
been raised. In l015 the present building
was begun. The architect was Erwin, and
it was Sabina, his daughter, who enriched
the portals with her sculptures and carved
the statues of the wonderful ''Pillar of the
! Angels"
The cathedral of Colonge is one of the
| several homes of the bones of the three
Magi which st. Helena brought back from
Jerusalem. The present building was begun
in 1241 It was finished in 1890 The archi-
| tect, according to the popular legend, sold
himself to the devil, who in turn furnished
him his ability to design the great work In
spirit the cathedral at Cologne is the out
come of the French Gothic It's flying but
tresses, its pinnacles and needles were born
| i'll France, but in Germany and here they
received their apotheosis.
The Milan cathedral is the largest Gothic
structure in Europe, but in height it lacks
the majesty of Cologne. 1t was begun in
1886 and was nearly finished in the fifteenth
century. Renewed impetus was given III
1905 by Napoleon l. 1t consists of a nave
and double aisles, with transept. The Gu
riosity of the cathedral is its roof, with its
numerous turrets, and the 1850 statues that
adorn its exterior, four of which are by
Canova. In the interior is the remarkable
statue of St Bartholomew, as hayed alive,
which would do honor to this age of real
ISM The general effect of the cathedral is
bewildering, from its multitude of pima
cles 1t lacks, however, the charm of form
and proportion.
The cathedrals of Spain are French rather
than Spanish Seville, however, which is,
next to st. Peters, the largest cathedral i'll
Europe, shows Moorish influence in the
horseshoe arches of the portals, Let us
build a church so vast that those who see it
will account lis fools" This was in l401.
The site was that OF an old mosque, and by
building here Christianity celebrated its
triumph. The interior is Gothic, with its
fine aisle nave carried so high that the large
pillars seem slender.
CHORES OF ENGLAND.
The cathedrals of England retain the ira
ditions of their origin. These are only less
interesting than their architecture.
St Paui's stands on the site of the ancient
church built by King Ethelbert. The pres
emf cathedral was undertaken by Christie
pher Wren after the great fire in London in
Ill